The way an animal is able to cope with the conditions in which it lives, that’s the whole idea behind animal welfare. As with humans, animals also deal with issues in the environment they operate in, both mentally and physically. In ancient times, animal breeding was common as it is today and all through civilization it has become an obligation for people to treat animals responsibly. Ensuring a good animal welfare means that you must uphold disease prevention and measures, proper nutrition, good shelter, hygiene, humane handling and management. This is important especially in animal agriculture and husbandry.

The meat production sector has seen a lot of technology and advancements in pasture grazing production and industrial livestock production. This has brought changes in how animals are managed with the idea of meat commercialization. As with the changes, strict policies and programs fostering animal welfare have been enforced. A statistic by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association indicates that there are about 913,246 total cow-calf operation in the U.S. Local meat markets have expanded and meat consumption has really increased.

Animal farming experts advocate that people starting minding and revising their breeding skills and how they treat animals. They emphasize on things like wise production methods and organic farming. These are not only essentials to animal welfare, but also human and environment at large. However, sustainability impacts of such measures often get ignored by unscrupulous farmers.

For those in meat production and also those who delight on their favorite meat packages, perhaps you should know the 5 freedoms that serve as the heart of animal welfare policies and programs. They are freedom from hunger, thirst, fear, discomfort, pain and the ability to express its innate behavior. Yet, there are have varying perspectives and different means of ascertaining good animal welfare.

Stakeholders in animal farming including animal trainers, veterinary doctors, ranchers, farmers, breeders and keepers all have one duty, and that is to ensure proper animal management. But looking at the trends such as lab testing and research, zoo keeping, circuses, animal parks and museums, the setting in which those animals are subjected to appear intensive. It’s the hope and best interest of the meat market that people will embrace quality care and treatment towards animals and ensure best practices.